As you all remember from my previous blog the title of this site represents the peeling off of the college life and the start of a new clean slate. So how exactly do you get that hideous sticker off? Well depending on how long you've been accumulating these stickers it can be quite a simple process. Your basic sticker only requires a rag and warm water. For older stickers you'll need to scrape the sticker off with a razor blade and wipe down the area with a mixture of warm water and either, goo b gone or simple green. I have found these two to have the best results.
Well now that your windshield is clean it’s time to focus on a few things that need to be done as soon as graduation is over. The reason it is important that these things get done ASAP is because we are all humans and we forget. It’s that simple. Most of us have been waiting to graduate for years so we could get a better job, buy a car or a house or whatever it is that we desire. another reason is that having been in school, you are used to "fluffing" things up, using better grammar, and spending time on the computer. In my experience, if you don't practice something, you lose it. Use this time to make yourself sound better to potential employers. One of my professors once told me that 97% of people cut themselves short on resumes (shout out Gail Johnson- UT Tyler). WOW! That’s incredible. So get these things done now before you forget how good you really are!
1. Begin to build a resume.
Many colleges now offer a career management course to seniors. If you are a senior and you haven’t taken one of these courses, get in one ASAP. They are a simple A and at the very least it will force you to write a resume that is functional and presentable. The whole point of these courses is to help you get ready for the world after college. Many students feel that they don’t need a resume because they feel they have nothing to offer. WELL you just graduated from college!!! There's a good start! A resume is not all about your job experience or success you've had in your area of expertise. A resume is a reflection of the applicant! It shows personality, character, what motivates you. Oh ya and by the way, employers hardly ever will turn the page to look at the second page of a resume, and most likely won’t even look at the first page for more than 10 seconds. There are numerous websites that can give you helpful tips for resume layouts and what info should be included. Most job search engines include this kind of help. The moral of the story is don't be scared of building a resume and giving it to an employer. At the very least it shows the effort and time you put into it.
2. GET A JOB!!
Ya i know what you're thinking, that’s a lot easier than it sounds!! Well it’s really not, if you allow yourself to not be picky. As of right now you have no job, so unless you have a money tree or got rich on E-bay, you have no income. Many people waist too much time looking for that perfect job out of college. And to be honest, you're right, most of the time it’s not easy to find. If you're a recent graduate or recently laid off and don't have much experience, take what you can get. Even if it’s a lower level job, it’s a foot in the door. Just about every job that you could get has someone with the job title you're looking for. Now you have to narrow you're search some to the general area of what you're degree is. This is easiest for business majors! Every business has someone with your title! To you get hired you're usually interviewed by a manager. There’s your contact to the upper level. Even if you start at the bottom, you can work your way up. Most great companies hire and promote from within!! Many CEO s started out mopping floors!! This brings me to my next point
3. Build a Web.
This is the most important of all. You have to get to know people. Do whatever it takes to get your name out there. Let your manager know who you are. So what if they call you a brown noser, it’s only because they weren’t bold enough to make a step forward. A big network can do wonders. The more connections you have, he more opportunities you have. Meet everyone you can inside your job and outside. if you want to be a salesman go to a car dealership and have them try to sell you a car (as long as you can say no!) get his name and card, let him know that you are a salesman too and give him your business card. Do whatever necessary to build your web. One thing you can’t forget is that big huge thing called the internet...
4. Social Networking.
GET ON THE INTERNET NOW! This is the easiest and fastest way to build your web of connections. Get out there and meet professionals. They are out there looking for employees just like you're looking for a job. Read their updates, posts and tweets. You won’t believe how quickly you will find people with the same motives as you. They can give advice, potential employers, do's and don’ts, the amount of information that is out there in endless. You must be careful with your social networking also. Don't use the childish chat rooms or unprofessional forums. I suggest and personally use Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, and LinkedIn, just to name a few. The great thing about these sites is you can post any work you’ve done or pictures of it. Once you’ve posted it, it’s just out there. You don’t have to send it to anyone in particular or bug someone to read it. There are people out there and they will see it and it will get passed along and you never know whose hands it will end up in.
5. Get a Hobby.
While you’re building that resume and looking for that job, start doing something that you enjoy. Write a blog, build websites, do something that either you enjoy or relates to the job you want. And hopefully those two agree at some point. You’d be surprised at how often the person conducting the interview will have interest in the one little hobby you wrote down on your resume. It could be right under -Handled multimillion dollar accounts, BAM- i host a monthly car show in my town. Sure enough they ask about the cars. You know why?? Because that’s you, that’s what you love doing. They want to see your eyes light up. They want to see what kind of person they are hiring!
Complete these five simple tasks and i promise you, you won’t be disappointed. In my next post i will tell you how to begin looking for that job online and how to protect yourself
